Darmouth's Oberle seeks revenge after '94 heartbreak

With 90 seconds left on the clock in front of a cheering Dartmouth crowd last September, Penn's winning streak was in critical condition.E Down 13-9 but charging, the Big Green were only one yard away from Penn's end zone and a probable victory over the mighty Quakers. Everyone at Memorial Field knew Pete Oberle -- Dartmouth's star running back who had already racked up 109 yards -- was going to get the ball. In perhaps the defining point of Penn's history-making 21-game winning streak, All-American Pat Goodwillie broke through Dartmouth's line and met Oberle head-on. Goodwillie won. So did Penn. The Quakers went on to bigger and better things, finishing the year undefeated and setting a record for the longest Division I-AA winning streak in history. Dartmouth collapsed to a 2-5 Ivy record and a share of last place in the league, their worst placing in decades. A year later, the game and the play are still in Oberle's thoughts. "I think about it all the time," said the senior running back, who has been an honorable mention all-Ivy pick the last two years despite many injuries. "I'm sure Penn and Goodwillie will be happy to hear that. I wouldn't say every night, but it pops in my head at least a few times a week. I'd sure like to have gotten that ball across the goal line." When Oberle, the heart and soul of the Big Green team, makes his return against Penn Saturday at Franklin Field, he will get a chance to make amends for that play. But probably more important for Dartmouth is how he comes back from a ligament tear in his knee. Even though the injury sidelined him for the last four games last year, Oberle (6 feet, 210 pounds) still led the team last season with 625 yards on 154 carries, good for a 4.1 per carry average. But Dartmouth's offense did not hold up as well as Oberle's stats. The Big Green averaged just over 13 points a game in that span, losing three of four. "Our offense went to the wayside when he was out for the year," Dartmouth offensive coordinator Roger Hughes said. "I think a lot of our success depends on how well Pete does." Hughes describes Oberle, named co-captain this year, as a strong, tough runner with outstanding vision. He added it is only because of Oberle's phenomenal work ethic that he could return in time for the season opener. "If you wanted a son, he would be your son," Hughes said. "He's a good athlete, leader and student. He just does everything right." Dartmouth was high on the heavily-recruited Oberle coming out of high school, but the Colorado native decided to stay in state -- and receive a scholarship -- at Colorado State. After his freshman year, though, Oberle joined his high school teammate and current Big Green co-captain, defensive end Taran Lent, at Dartmouth. "I realized that football maybe shouldn't be everything," Oberle said. "I decided that a degree from Dartmouth may pay off in the future more." Oberle says his goal for this year is to convince people outside Dartmouth that the team has promise. He concedes the team is "pretty young" and hopes he can provide leadership to the team. "He's a great captain," Dartmouth defensive end Scott Hapgood said. "He's always real positive. He picks you up when you're down and keeps the morale up." Oberle wishes Goodwillie were in the game this Saturday. It would give him a chance to get the bitter taste out of his mouth. A chance "to get the best" of Goodwillie. "In general, I think a loss like that never really goes away," Hughes said. "But I think he's the type of kid who's not going to let that haunt him."